John Oliver

lrg14 · May 2015

I just finished watching this week's John Oliver show and he had a big focus in the lack of paid maternity leave in the US. I get so frustrated thinking about how our country is so behind the times. I can take up to 12 weeks off unpaid but that would mean thousands of dollars I'm passing on which I will need even more so after having a baby. Additionally I work for a company that has a bare bones staff and I worry what they will do without me...will they bring someone in part time and eventually push me out once I return?

What is everyone else's plan? Do your companies allow you to save up PTO or vacation days? Or maybe you actually get some paid leave?

As of now I'm thinking I'll take just 6 weeks and then go back. I'm hoping they will let me come back part time until LO is 12 weeks.

Thanks for letting me vent some frustrations - IMO this shouldn't even be a concern of mine when thinking of bringing a human being into the world.

kpalt · May 2015

This has been discussed lots in my mom groups. I'm Canadian and sympathize for you guys so much. We have an amazing maternity leave in Canada (12 months receiving 55% of your income) and it is NOT a big deal to enforce. It's done through our unemployment insurance program which is government run and everyone pays into each pay. It's not complicated and it ensures women get proper recovery and time to bond with their child. I really really hope things change for you guys, I believe all developed countries have maternity leave programs and you should too!

firebaby688 · May 2015

In my company, we get short term disability for up to three months. This would kick in ten business days after going on maternity leave. Those ten days are covered by whatever vacation, sick, or personal time we have, otherwise they're unpaid.

I'm not 100% sure on if all three months are paid regardless or if it's based only on doctor's orders, but I do know we can take three months off for sure. Not sure if I would take all three months off if it wasn't paid, but I will definitely take two regardless. DH and I have a savings plan right now, so it would probably depend on how much was in that when the time came.

firebaby688 · May 2015

kpalt said:
This has been discussed lots in my mom groups. I'm Canadian and sympathize for you guys so much. We have an amazing maternity leave in Canada (12 months receiving 55% of your income) and it is NOT a big deal to enforce. It's done through our unemployment insurance program which is government run and everyone pays into each pay. It's not complicated and it ensures women get proper recovery and time to bond with their child. I really really hope things change for you guys, I believe all developed countries have maternity leave programs and you should too!

I'm so jealous of this... One year?!?! That's amazing.

nicosh8 · May 2015

I get 12 weeks unpaid but get to keep my benefits. I can also use the 12 weeks of hours however I choose. I might take off 4-6 and use the rest of the time as half days or an extra day off every week. I can use any sick or personal time but I worry I won't have any when I come back for drs appointments and such. There is also no guarantee that my position will still be there but they will place me in a similar position at another location once one opens. My boss is really nice so I'm hoping he will hold the position for me. Such a bummer to worry about all of thjs. It sucks but many women before us have done it and figured it out. DH and I are just going to do our best to be prepared for anything. Good luck to you!

jennymack79 · May 2015

I just double checked this a few weeks ago and yeah. Zero paid leave, though I can use short-term disability for 60% pay but I think that's only for maybe 6 of the weeks? I may look into some supplemental coverage too. It's ridiculous.

BirdsofParadise86 · May 2015

I'm Canadian too and I just want to clarify that they pay you 55% of your wage up to a certain amount. So you can receive up to a MAXIMUM of about $27,000 for the year you're on maternity leave. Plus they tax it so you get even less. It's better than nothing but not as good as you may think. Also, we pay higher taxes than you guys in the states so I believe it may even out in the end.

TheGizzmo · May 2015

I have no idea how it is expected of women in the US to return to work when your baby is just 6 weeks of age. I understand that many women do it, but it must be so difficult especially with breast feeding, pumping and just being away from your baby at such a young age.
I am a shift worker and so is my husband. We are just figuring out daycare for my return to work next month when my baby turns 1 year. I have no idea what we would have done in terms of a babysitter to look after a 6 week old infant that is waking up every 3 hours through the night when we are both on nights.
In theory my job would "permit" me to have pumping breaks, but this doesn't mean that my physical job would allot me time to do it every 3-4 hours.
This is just my opinion, I really wish maternity leave could be extended for those in the US.

kpalt · May 2015

firebaby688 said:

kpalt said:
This has been discussed lots in my mom groups. I'm Canadian and sympathize for you guys so much. We have an amazing maternity leave in Canada (12 months receiving 55% of your income) and it is NOT a big deal to enforce. It's done through our unemployment insurance program which is government run and everyone pays into each pay. It's not complicated and it ensures women get proper recovery and time to bond with their child. I really really hope things change for you guys, I believe all developed countries have maternity leave programs and you should too!
I'm so jealous of this... One year?!?! That's amazing.

Yeah we get 15 maternity (recovery) and 37 parental leave. The parental leave can also be split between the parents so Dads could also get leave if mom wanted to work. 37 weeks parental per child at 55% wages. Some companies top up the wages to a larger %.

firebaby688 · May 2015

kpalt said:

firebaby688 said:

kpalt said:
This has been discussed lots in my mom groups. I'm Canadian and sympathize for you guys so much. We have an amazing maternity leave in Canada (12 months receiving 55% of your income) and it is NOT a big deal to enforce. It's done through our unemployment insurance program which is government run and everyone pays into each pay. It's not complicated and it ensures women get proper recovery and time to bond with their child. I really really hope things change for you guys, I believe all developed countries have maternity leave programs and you should too!
I'm so jealous of this... One year?!?! That's amazing.
Yeah we get 15 maternity (recovery) and 37 parental leave. The parental leave can also be split between the parents so Dads could also get leave if mom wanted to work. 37 weeks parental per child at 55% wages. Some companies top up the wages to a larger %.

Your recovery time is longer than the amount of time I'm allowed to be out of work at my job... And mine is one of the good ones with this! So crazy. We need to get on this, US!

TheGizzmo · May 2015

kpalt said:
This has been discussed lots in my mom groups. I'm Canadian and sympathize for you guys so much. We have an amazing maternity leave in Canada (12 months receiving 55% of your income) and it is NOT a big deal to enforce. It's done through our unemployment insurance program which is government run and everyone pays into each pay. It's not complicated and it ensures women get proper recovery and time to bond with their child. I really really hope things change for you guys, I believe all developed countries have maternity leave programs and you should too!

It is not true that everyone is entitled to it. Those that are self employed/do not contribute to EI can not claim it.

kpalt · May 2015

TheGizzmo said:

kpalt said:
This has been discussed lots in my mom groups. I'm Canadian and sympathize for you guys so much. We have an amazing maternity leave in Canada (12 months receiving 55% of your income) and it is NOT a big deal to enforce. It's done through our unemployment insurance program which is government run and everyone pays into each pay. It's not complicated and it ensures women get proper recovery and time to bond with their child. I really really hope things change for you guys, I believe all developed countries have maternity leave programs and you should too!
It is not true that everyone is entitled to it. Those that are self employed/do not contribute to EI can not claim it.

Self employed can opt in for maternity but this is true, although it's a small minority. My parents own a business I work at and they are actually deciding whether I'm eligible for EI or not right now. But again, it's such a small % of people and business owners can opt in the program still (I did so much research when it was possible for me not to receive it)

BirdsofParadise86 · May 2015

kpalt said:

TheGizzmo said:

kpalt said:
This has been discussed lots in my mom groups. I'm Canadian and sympathize for you guys so much. We have an amazing maternity leave in Canada (12 months receiving 55% of your income) and it is NOT a big deal to enforce. It's done through our unemployment insurance program which is government run and everyone pays into each pay. It's not complicated and it ensures women get proper recovery and time to bond with their child. I really really hope things change for you guys, I believe all developed countries have maternity leave programs and you should too!
It is not true that everyone is entitled to it. Those that are self employed/do not contribute to EI can not claim it.
Self employed can opt in for maternity but this is true, although it's a small minority. My parents own a business I work at and they are actually deciding whether I'm eligible for EI or not right now. But again, it's such a small % of people and business owners can opt in the program still (I did so much research when it was possible for me not to receive it)

If you didn't pay into E.I. I doubt you will receive anything for maternity leave. You have to have worked full time for at least a year and have contributed.

mattiep16 · May 2015

Many in the US don't even support free healthcare for children or food stamps. The idea that there could be a consensus on paid maternity leave is unlikely any time soon. Unfortunately, women who need the most help get the fewst benefits in this area, while the highest paid typically get the best benefits and most time off, although they often don't take advantage of them because of the unspoken expectation to be back to work asap.
There is bias against women in terms of promotion specifically because leaving for twelve weeks can upset the work flow. It's not something anyone can admit or ever would admit but it true. Also, the number of women of child bearing age effects insurance premiums, so not hiring them is the best way to keep costs down. This issue is a perfect example of the dichotomy that is the freedom of being American!

kpalt · May 2015

BirdsofParadise081614 said:

kpalt said:

TheGizzmo said:

kpalt said:
This has been discussed lots in my mom groups. I'm Canadian and sympathize for you guys so much. We have an amazing maternity leave in Canada (12 months receiving 55% of your income) and it is NOT a big deal to enforce. It's done through our unemployment insurance program which is government run and everyone pays into each pay. It's not complicated and it ensures women get proper recovery and time to bond with their child. I really really hope things change for you guys, I believe all developed countries have maternity leave programs and you should too!
It is not true that everyone is entitled to it. Those that are self employed/do not contribute to EI can not claim it.
Self employed can opt in for maternity but this is true, although it's a small minority. My parents own a business I work at and they are actually deciding whether I'm eligible for EI or not right now. But again, it's such a small % of people and business owners can opt in the program still (I did so much research when it was possible for me not to receive it)
If you didn't pay into E.I. I doubt you will receive anything for maternity leave. You have to have worked full time for at least a year and have contributed.

I have been paying into EI. They are making a decision and if I'm not eligible I then get a refund of what I have paid. It's not working a full year before you can claim though, its 600 hours in the last 52 weeks

BirdsofParadise86 · May 2015

kpalt said:

BirdsofParadise081614 said:

kpalt said:

TheGizzmo said:

kpalt said:
This has been discussed lots in my mom groups. I'm Canadian and sympathize for you guys so much. We have an amazing maternity leave in Canada (12 months receiving 55% of your income) and it is NOT a big deal to enforce. It's done through our unemployment insurance program which is government run and everyone pays into each pay. It's not complicated and it ensures women get proper recovery and time to bond with their child. I really really hope things change for you guys, I believe all developed countries have maternity leave programs and you should too!
It is not true that everyone is entitled to it. Those that are self employed/do not contribute to EI can not claim it.
Self employed can opt in for maternity but this is true, although it's a small minority. My parents own a business I work at and they are actually deciding whether I'm eligible for EI or not right now. But again, it's such a small % of people and business owners can opt in the program still (I did so much research when it was possible for me not to receive it)
If you didn't pay into E.I. I doubt you will receive anything for maternity leave. You have to have worked full time for at least a year and have contributed.
I have been paying into EI. They are making a decision and if I'm not eligible I then get a refund of what I have paid. It's not working a full year before you can claim though, its 600 hours in the last 52 weeks

My mistake. You're right, only 600 working hours are required within the year before taking it. Why would you not be eligible if you've been paying into it?
I'm not an expert on this, I've just done some research for my own sake.

kpalt · May 2015

BirdsofParadise081614 said:

kpalt said:

BirdsofParadise081614 said:

kpalt said:

TheGizzmo said:

kpalt said:
This has been discussed lots in my mom groups. I'm Canadian and sympathize for you guys so much. We have an amazing maternity leave in Canada (12 months receiving 55% of your income) and it is NOT a big deal to enforce. It's done through our unemployment insurance program which is government run and everyone pays into each pay. It's not complicated and it ensures women get proper recovery and time to bond with their child. I really really hope things change for you guys, I believe all developed countries have maternity leave programs and you should too!
It is not true that everyone is entitled to it. Those that are self employed/do not contribute to EI can not claim it.
Self employed can opt in for maternity but this is true, although it's a small minority. My parents own a business I work at and they are actually deciding whether I'm eligible for EI or not right now. But again, it's such a small % of people and business owners can opt in the program still (I did so much research when it was possible for me not to receive it)
If you didn't pay into E.I. I doubt you will receive anything for maternity leave. You have to have worked full time for at least a year and have contributed.
I have been paying into EI. They are making a decision and if I'm not eligible I then get a refund of what I have paid. It's not working a full year before you can claim though, its 600 hours in the last 52 weeks
My mistake. You're right, only 600 working hours is required within the year before taking it. Why would you not be eligible if you've been paying into it?
I'm not an expert on this, I've just done some research for my own sake.

It's because I'm a shareholder and have "special privileges" that regular employees wouldn't get (salaried, not billable for my hours like the electricians, company car, etc). Basically the same reason self employed can't get it, because there is no way I would be laid off and could abuse the system for any other EI claim ("lay me off so I can claim and hire me back until I worked the minimum" and the other reasons they have this rule).

I really don't understand why if a business owner/self employed person can opt in for just maternity leave that I cannot though. The business accountants said its only for the person who owns their business. It sucks because I'm only going to get a few grand back from the last few years I worked so even if I saved that and put aside what I would have been garnished for EI it won't come close to the maternity benefit amount. Fingers crossed that I'm still eligible.

BirdsofParadise86 · May 2015

kpalt said:

BirdsofParadise081614 said:

kpalt said:

BirdsofParadise081614 said:

kpalt said:

TheGizzmo said:

kpalt said:
This has been discussed lots in my mom groups. I'm Canadian and sympathize for you guys so much. We have an amazing maternity leave in Canada (12 months receiving 55% of your income) and it is NOT a big deal to enforce. It's done through our unemployment insurance program which is government run and everyone pays into each pay. It's not complicated and it ensures women get proper recovery and time to bond with their child. I really really hope things change for you guys, I believe all developed countries have maternity leave programs and you should too!
It is not true that everyone is entitled to it. Those that are self employed/do not contribute to EI can not claim it.
Self employed can opt in for maternity but this is true, although it's a small minority. My parents own a business I work at and they are actually deciding whether I'm eligible for EI or not right now. But again, it's such a small % of people and business owners can opt in the program still (I did so much research when it was possible for me not to receive it)
If you didn't pay into E.I. I doubt you will receive anything for maternity leave. You have to have worked full time for at least a year and have contributed.
I have been paying into EI. They are making a decision and if I'm not eligible I then get a refund of what I have paid. It's not working a full year before you can claim though, its 600 hours in the last 52 weeks
My mistake. You're right, only 600 working hours is required within the year before taking it. Why would you not be eligible if you've been paying into it?
I'm not an expert on this, I've just done some research for my own sake.
It's because I'm a shareholder and have "special privileges" that regular employees wouldn't get (salaried, not billable for my hours like the electricians, company car, etc). Basically the same reason self employed can't get it, because there is no way I would be laid off and could abuse the system for any other EI claim ("lay me off so I can claim and hire me back until I worked the minimum" and the other reasons they have this rule).

I really don't understand why if a business owner/self employed person can opt in for just maternity leave that I cannot though. The business accountants said its only for the person who owns their business. It sucks because I'm only going to get a few grand back from the last few years I worked so even if I saved that and put aside what I would have been garnished for EI it won't come close to the maternity benefit amount. Fingers crossed that I'm still eligible.

Ohhhhhhh ok. I learn something new everyday. I really hope you are eligible! I hate that people abuse the system and ruin it for the honest people out there!
Thanks for sharing.

lrg14 · May 2015

Last year we relocated due to DH's job. When I was interviewing and employers asked me what brought me to the city, my friends told me to not tell them I was married! Some employers will consider not hiring you if you are married and in a certain age range, assuming you will get KU in the near future.

I mean, that obviously was my plan...but the concept of it frustrated me regardless.

[Deleted User] · May 2015

It's such BS that we have to take short term disability. Like having a child is a fucking disability. Pathetic. My short term disability will only cover 6 weeks, so in the meantime I am not taking any sick days (even when I'm actually sick and should stay home) so that I can save those up and hopefully get a total of 12 weeks off.

Sigh. It makes me so sad to think about putting a 3 month old infant in childcare and leaving it all day.

This particular policy in the US makes me sick.

mrskal · May 2015

The Indian policies are more flexible, the mother gets 16 weeks paid leave, if she doesn't want to come back, 16 weeks half pay leave,
And then 16 weeks unpaid.

The father gets 4 weeks paid and 4 weeks half pay.

mrskal · May 2015

Though with my profession, I won't be
Allowed in the operation theatre once I get bfp.

DutchLucyLu · May 2015

I really feel for you ladies.

My post might make you feel even worse, but I feel I should share anyway for reasons of comparison.

Over here (in the Netherlands) you get at least 16 weeks of completely paid leave, 6 weeks before your due date ('pregnancy leave') and 10 weeks after you deliver ('delivery leave'). Your employer is not legally allowed to deny you this leave, but it's paid for by the government (they pay your employer who then passes it on to you in the same way as if you were still working).

You always get 10 weeks after you deliver, so if your baby is two weeks late, that means your 'pregnancy leave' is extended by two weeks and you still get 10 weeks of 'delivery leave' after the baby comes (so that's 18 weeks in total).

I'm self-imployed so it's different for me, but I can still apply for 'benefits' from the government for 16 weeks, which will be based on what I made the year before. I'll definitely be worse off than people who aren't self-employed, but after reading you guys' stories, I feel very blessed to be living over here and not in the US!

We also get up to 40 hours of 'postnatal care' from a trained professional. She checks up on mother and baby during the first week, and will help by showing you how to do basic things like give the baby a bath etc. and also does light housework like vacuuming and making sandwiches and stuff. You have to partially pay for this yourself, but it's only $4.10 an hour, which is a fraction of what you'd pay a cleaning lady and they're not trained to work with newborns!

Fathers only get two days of 'paternity leave', though. Still, definitely not complaining! But he has to go back to work after 2 days, while you have the postnatal carer for another 6 to 8 days, which seems a little skewed to me. DH plans to take two weeks off starting from my due date. He works a lot of over time (which at his job translates into getting to take paid time off at a later date) so that probably won't affect things financially.

My cousin and her husband live in Sweden and are about to have a baby and they BOTH get 480 days of parental leave (if they want it) and her husband is allowed to transfer most of his unused leave days to her (or the other way around)! Gender equality, yo!

(Of course this is only possible because people living in Sweden pay enormously high taxes, but still.)

Edited to move my shout out to gender equality somewhere more appropriate.

jmak5 · May 2015

I'm a teacher and in my district, you can stay home for up to 2 years (unpaid so of course so I can't afford that!) Only if you have enough sick days saved up, you will be paid for 6 weeks (natural birth) or 8 weeks (c-section). Most teachers apply for FMLA if the baby is due during the school year (12 weeks unpaid leave) or if you have a baby due in the spring, save up money to stay home the remainder of the school year. My plan was to aim for a spring baby and be home spring and summer. We started TTC earlier than planned and I'm glad we did. At this point, I just want a baby! In reality though, having a baby in the fall or winter means I'll only get to be home for 12 weeks which is certainly not as nice as 5-6 months if it happens in the spring. DH gets 2 weeks paternity but only because his company is European owned. Sadly most U.S. companies don't offer paternity leave. There is now talk from the president of federalizing a paid 6 week maternity leave in the U.S. that does not involve having to save sick days. It's a start but definitely not good enough!

ShallowSeas · May 2015

I pay for short-term disability so that when I need to take maternity leave, I can use that along with FMLA to ensure my position when I return.

JustLivinLife · May 2015

We have no paid maternity leave or maternity leave policy - everything is done with FMLA and if you purchase short term disability - then 6 weeks paid if vaginal birth and 8 weeks for a c-section but the first two weeks is a nonpaid waiting period. So ridiculous.

SisterMaryNapalm · May 2015

I really hope it changes for you guys! In Australia our Prime Minister is flip flopping on paid parental leave. Long story short, we will still have access to paid maternity leave but the specifics and amount might be changed (not for the better). In my position I can take 14 wks fully paid, 28 wks at half pay and up to a year unpaid and my employer has to guarantee my job at same pay (and similar position). The unions fought hard for that though and some states didn't have it until recently.

Rabbitheart15 · May 2015

In Belgium we get 15 weeks, 80% paid leave. The father gets two weeks. Both parents can take four months off during their kids life, fulltime or parttime, but at a very low pay.

Definitely feel for all the moms out there in the US! I can't even imagine bringing my six week old daughter to daycare.

TheGizzmo · May 2015

mrskal said:
Though with my profession, I won't be
Allowed in the operation theatre once I get bfp.

What will you do for the next 9 months?

MrsReese28 · May 2015

I'm a teacher. We get 12 weeks with benefits paid after that we have to pay our benefits up to a year but our leave is unpaid. We must first exhaust our sick time. When I had my son I came back after 16 weeks and my husband then took his FMLA so we didn't have to to daycare till 6 months but it sucked. Then when I came back, my school didn't want to acknowledge my pumping request soI ended up having to file a grievance so that I could pump. They never stopped giving me grief about the pumping. I would get told, that there's nobody to cover, this just isn't a good time, use the bathroom. The only non-student time I have is during my lunch. Yes, this was a public school.

ecmb · May 2015

I'm in US and get 12 weeks paid leave, but I work for a big company. I didn't realize how fortunate I am until about 2 years ago when I realized just how many people have zero paid leave. My company even offers 12 weeks paid leave for fathers too. More companies need to adopt this policy, regardless of goverment policies, because it is the right way to treat your employees in my opinion.

kap1988 · May 2015

I would much rather deal with a year or two of saving myself for the time I plan on taking off than have both me and my husband pay insanely high taxes our entire career.It's not like the government has a tree that they just go pluck dollar bills from.Nothing is ever free and I don't see the point of the government as the middle man.But that's probably an UO.

kap1988 · May 2015

TheGizzmo said:

mrskal said:
Though with my profession, I won't be
Allowed in the operation theatre once I get bfp.
What will you do for the next 9 months?

Yes, Im curious about this too. What's the reason you can't continue to work?

Scout27 · May 2015

We get up to 12 weeks under FMLA and use short-term disability (up to 60% of your pay). There is a 30 day wait during which you use sick or vacation leave you have saved. Washington state has an additional 12 weeks unpaid available after your FMLA leave is up but with my employer at that point you have to go on Cobra or have no benefits and unless you have a ton of vacation time it'll be completely unpaid so most don't use it. We are lucky in that we have exceptional sick leave (3 or 5 weeks depending on tenure). My husband can use his sick leave and work a flexible schedule which will probably amount to 2-3 weeks depending on what projects he's working on when the time comes.

I love John Oliver and that piece was excellent! I especially like the Mother's Day "commercial" at the end.

It's crazy to me that we don't support at least some paid parental leave. For me, it's not just about the money either. Having both parents spend that time with their new baby and get settled in without having to stress about work - the actual work getting done, the money to support your family, etc. - is crucial. And making it easier for them to do that would be beneficial to society.

wassuphoes · May 2015

I'm an artist, so I work from home. My old job had the 6 natural/8 c-section thing.

My husband however, works at a company that allows him to take I think up to 4 weeks of paternal leave. (It might only be two, but I think it's 4) The benefits at his job are fantastic.

TheBorg7of9 · May 2015

kap1988 said:
I would much rather deal with a year or two of saving myself for the time I plan on taking off than have both me and my husband pay insanely high taxes our entire career.It's not like the government has a tree that they just go pluck dollar bills from.Nothing is ever free and I don't see the point of the government as the middle man.But that's probably an UO.

It would not cost "insanely high taxes". And it would be a cost I would definitely be able and willing to pay. Every mother deserves time off to be with her baby, even if she could not afford to save for maternity leave. Have you watched the video? Not everyone makes enough money to do this for themselves and even non-rich people should be able to procreate. Also, why should a baby suffer because her mother is not rich enough to save for maternity leave.

Here is an article from fortune estimating the cost of a maternity leave would be less than $1 per week per worker.

https://fortune.com/2015/02/05/paid-parental-leave-costs/

We live in a society and we all benefit from longer leaves for mothers. Healthier babies. Longer breastfeeding. Healthier Women. Women who will keep their jobs instead of quitting because they have to go back to work at 2 weeks.

Personally, I an attorney at a big law firm. I got 12 weeks paid from my accounting firm when I had a first baby, but took 6 extra weeks because I got a new job. I got 16 weeks paid from my law firm when I had my second baby. Around 12-16 weeks, you start feeling human again. I don't understand why we can't come together and help all families. Even women who work cleaning my office or at the McDonald's should be able to stay with their babies for a reasonable time.

BirdsofParadise86 · May 2015

kap1988 said:
I would much rather deal with a year or two of saving myself for the time I plan on taking off than have both me and my husband pay insanely high taxes our entire career.It's not like the government has a tree that they just go pluck dollar bills from.Nothing is ever free and I don't see the point of the government as the middle man.But that's probably an UO.

^This!!! Be careful what you wish for people. Yes of course all of those government funded programs seem nice but remember that the government has to get the money from somewhere (or go into huge amounts of debt, which happens).

I personally would much rather save my own money and take my own time off as needed instead of paying into a program that I so far have never used. And if I do use it, I've been paying into it so long that I'll never get my money back from it.

wassuphoes · May 2015

BirdsofParadise081614 said:

kap1988 said:
I would much rather deal with a year or two of saving myself for the time I plan on taking off than have both me and my husband pay insanely high taxes our entire career.It's not like the government has a tree that they just go pluck dollar bills from.Nothing is ever free and I don't see the point of the government as the middle man.But that's probably an UO.
^This!!! Be careful what you wish for people. Yes of course all of those government funded programs seem nice but remember that the government has to get the money from somewhere (or go into huge amounts of debt, which happens).
I personally would much rather save my own money and take my own time off as needed instead of paying into a program that I so far have never used. And if I do use it, I've been paying into it so long that I'll never get my money back from it.

Not to get all political, but I'd rather pay higher taxes so a woman at McDonalds can stay home longer with her child then pay less taxes and have women across the country being thankful for 6 weeks without pay.

kap1988 · May 2015

TheBorg7of9 said:

kap1988 said:
I would much rather deal with a year or two of saving myself for the time I plan on taking off than have both me and my husband pay insanely high taxes our entire career.It's not like the government has a tree that they just go pluck dollar bills from.Nothing is ever free and I don't see the point of the government as the middle man.But that's probably an UO.
It would not cost "insanely high taxes". And it would be a cost I would definitely be able and willing to pay. Every mother deserves time off to be with her baby, even if she could not afford to save for maternity leave. Have you watched the video? Not everyone makes enough money to do this for themselves and even non-rich people should be able to procreate. Also, why should a baby suffer because her mother is not rich enough to save for maternity leave.

Here is an article from fortune estimating the cost of a maternity leave would be less than $1 per week per worker.
https://fortune.com/2015/02/05/paid-parental-leave-costs/

We live in a society and we all benefit from longer leaves for mothers. Healthier babies. Longer breastfeeding. Healthier Women. Women who will keep their jobs instead of quitting because they have to go back to work at 2 weeks.

Personally, I an attorney at a big law firm. I got 12 weeks paid from my accounting firm when I had a first baby, but took 6 extra weeks because I got a new job. I got 16 weeks paid from my law firm when I had my second baby. Around 12-16 weeks, you start feeling human again. I don't understand why we can't come together and help all families. Even women who work cleaning my office or at the McDonald's should be able to stay with their babies for a reasonable time.

Disagree. If you can't afford children without government assistance you shouldn't have them. Period.

TheBorg7of9 · May 2015

kap1988 said:

TheBorg7of9 said:

kap1988 said:
I would much rather deal with a year or two of saving myself for the time I plan on taking off than have both me and my husband pay insanely high taxes our entire career.It's not like the government has a tree that they just go pluck dollar bills from.Nothing is ever free and I don't see the point of the government as the middle man.But that's probably an UO.
It would not cost "insanely high taxes". And it would be a cost I would definitely be able and willing to pay. Every mother deserves time off to be with her baby, even if she could not afford to save for maternity leave. Have you watched the video? Not everyone makes enough money to do this for themselves and even non-rich people should be able to procreate. Also, why should a baby suffer because her mother is not rich enough to save for maternity leave.

Here is an article from fortune estimating the cost of a maternity leave would be less than $1 per week per worker.
https://fortune.com/2015/02/05/paid-parental-leave-costs/

We live in a society and we all benefit from longer leaves for mothers. Healthier babies. Longer breastfeeding. Healthier Women. Women who will keep their jobs instead of quitting because they have to go back to work at 2 weeks.

Personally, I an attorney at a big law firm. I got 12 weeks paid from my accounting firm when I had a first baby, but took 6 extra weeks because I got a new job. I got 16 weeks paid from my law firm when I had my second baby. Around 12-16 weeks, you start feeling human again. I don't understand why we can't come together and help all families. Even women who work cleaning my office or at the McDonald's should be able to stay with their babies for a reasonable time.

Disagree. If you can't afford children without government assistance you shouldn't have them. Period.

It would be nice it we could sterilize all poor people so they wouldn't have babies, but that is not reality.

ETA: That was sarcasm. I obviously don't think we should sterilize poor people.

BirdsofParadise86 · May 2015

wassuphoes said:

BirdsofParadise081614 said:

kap1988 said:
I would much rather deal with a year or two of saving myself for the time I plan on taking off than have both me and my husband pay insanely high taxes our entire career.It's not like the government has a tree that they just go pluck dollar bills from.Nothing is ever free and I don't see the point of the government as the middle man.But that's probably an UO.
^This!!! Be careful what you wish for people. Yes of course all of those government funded programs seem nice but remember that the government has to get the money from somewhere (or go into huge amounts of debt, which happens).
I personally would much rather save my own money and take my own time off as needed instead of paying into a program that I so far have never used. And if I do use it, I've been paying into it so long that I'll never get my money back from it.

Not to get all political, but I'd rather pay higher taxes so a woman at McDonalds can stay home longer with her child then pay less taxes and have women across the country being thankful for 6 weeks without pay.

I respectfully disagree, but that's fair. I don't want to get political either because this is just personal preference. Many people do end up taking advantage of these government programs here in Canada and the hard working people have to pay for it. People need to worry about making good decisions and perhaps not have children if they can't afford it.

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